People’s behavior is largely determined by forces not of their own making.

In the world and in our immediate surroundings, there is a myriad of forces that do not depend on the majority of people; therefore, people cannot decide about them. Furthermore, these factors are not only independent from us, but they can affect, more or less, our behavior and even our lives. However, human way of acting is a very complex phenomenon. It varies from person to person. Not all people are independent of the external impacts in the same way and level. It is too far to say that the external forces can entirely define our behavior.

Firstly, one important aspect on which human behavior depends is the power of human intelligence and education. Intelligent people and, also, educated people are strong enough to be independent. It is true that governments often require from their nations to behave by the rules and low implemented by the ruler in order to control the people and, in that way, enforce his power. This happens in the countries with oppressive systems, such as Cuba, where the leaders have absolute power. Oscar Wilde’s statement that “Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation” illustrates how in the case if the people ‘open their eyes’, instead of blindly following their leaders, that would represent the first step towards their freedom and a better life.

Secondly, Oscar Wilde, being aware of the facts about human nature, many decades ago stated that “the public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.” It is sad, but true to say, that the world, till today, did not change much. In the countries not economically developed enough that their nation can forget about everyday survival and think about their intellectual progress, interfering in the lives of the others, is an entertainment. These people live in their local communities following stereotypical models of provincial life. Afraid to become better and different, they behave by the other’s expectations. Otherwise, they will not be accepted in society. This subculture is also present in the countries who were the oldest world civilizations, such as Egypt. However, examples of the same behavior can be found in the most developed countries such as the US as well. An example is Hollywood, famous for being a big village. The reason for this is an interest of all people to know everything about the celebrities’ private lives which, even more sadly, raises the competitiveness between the celebrities. In order to further increase their glory and budget, they sometimes behave in the way that, puts in question the level of culture. Additionally, nowadays there are so many types of reality TV shows such as Big Brother. They represent a modern style of ruling over the people. The goal of these TV shows is to occupy people’s mind so they act following the examples of their idols from realities and do not focus on real-life quality. Here, again the education and intelligence play an important rule showing that when they are not on the high level, people are easily controlled.

On the other hand, everyone is expected to act by the law. Without the law, humans would live in anarchy. This would dismiss any chance for human development. The most developed countries today such as Germany or Scandinavian countries, are based on discipline and respect of the law. However, there are also cases when people have to behave depending on the situation, i.e. the living conditions. The worst example of this is surely the war, when people no matter their intelligence and ambitions, do not have a possibility to study and accomplish their dreams. This means that their acting is largely determined by forces.

In conclusion, human nature and way of behaving are an infinite field of research. There are also many different life conditions on which depends how people will act. Sometimes we are forced to act against our wishes, but more often our actions are in line with our values, capacity and beliefs which proves that humans can be enough strong to decide for themselves and the world they live in.